Millions Flock to Hindu Gathering

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Millions Flock to Hindu Gathering

Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters

ALLAHABAD, India – A lunar eclipse and the cacophonous arrival of a famous holy man fed religious fervor on the second day of Hinduism's biggest festival on Wednesday as the crowd of pilgrims swelled to more than 2 million.

Ash-smeared sages and their saffron-clad apostles headed for the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers before dawn to immerse themselves in the holy water during the full eclipse of the moon, an auspicious moment of the 42-day Maha Kumbh Mela Festival.

"This eclipse was sent by Lord Shiva, it gives power from the gods to the Ganges," said Anuj Kumar Singh, a student who shivered with cold after his bath at the place where Hindus believe a third, mythical river joins the other two.

Around him, near-naked devotees immersed themselves in the gloom, their hands in supplication and only their lips moving as they muttered their prayers.

Officials at the Mela, which takes place in the northern Indian city of Allahabad once every 12 years, said up to 3 million people had taken a dip on Tuesday as a vast township of riverside tents sprung to life.

The next big "bathing day" falls on Jan. 14 when, according to Hindu astrology, the Sun enters the Capricorn constellation. It could draw at least 5 million devotees and will be the first severe test for security and crowd control arrangements.

Officials said there were intelligence reports suggesting that the mammoth festival could be a target of terrorist groups.

"There is no direct threat but on the basis of certain messages intercepted by the intelligence bureau and other agencies we understand the Kumbh Mela can also be among the targets," Mela commissioner Sadakant said.

"We are fully prepared to meet any contingency," he said.

The Times of India newspaper said on Wednesday intelligence sources had "received fresh information about a possible subversive strike during the Kumbh."

It cited a report that the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which recently carried out a daring attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi, was planning similar raids at the Kumbh Mela.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba is one of several militant outfits fighting Indian rule in the Himalayan territory of Kashmir.

The Times said police had instructions from New Delhi to prepare for the possibility of a few Hollywood stars at the fair. There has been talk that pop star Madonna and actor Richard Gere could turn up, but there was no official word.

One man that did make an appearance at the Mela on Wednesday was holy "sadhu" Shri Swami Vasu Dev Anand Saraswatiji Maharaj, who may not have quite the following of Western screen icons, but caused enough of a stir to snarl up traffic in Allahabad.

Led by four elephants, the sadhu's procession of at least 5,000 fabulously decorated disciples, brass bands and admirers snaked for 1.25 miles along the road leading down to the sangam, or confluence of rivers.

A loudspeaker on one of his floats, which carried people dressed as gods, blared out the famous line from a 1950s Hindi movie hit: "You are the Ganges and I am the Yamuna, and we are sure to meet some day."

The most revered sadhus are the Nagas, or unclothed, dreadlocked ascetics, many of whom live in remote caves and forests surviving on herbs and roots.

Rival brotherhoods of sadhus have been known to clash at melas, particularly over who will take the plunge into the river first on auspicious days.

More than 20,000 police personnel, including forces from outside the state, have been deployed in the festival area, which stretches across some 1,396 hectares of flood plain.

Special electricity sub-stations and 20,000 toilets have been built and more than 8,000 sweepers have been put to work to deal with the debris of a crowd which, cumulatively, could total some 70 million by the time festivities are over next month.

Hindus believe bathing in the Ganges during the Kumbh Mela cleanses them of sin, speeding the way to the end of reincarnation in this world and the attainment of nirvana, or the after-life.

Allahabad, in the Hindi heartland state of Uttar Pradesh, is one of four spots where Garuda, the winged steed of the god Vishnu, is said to have rested during a titanic battle with demons over a pitcher of divine nectar of immortality.

Two of the other towns are on the Ganges, which stretches from a glacial cave in the Himalayan mountains to the Bay of Bengal. Garuda's flight lasted 12 divine days, or 12 years of mortal time, so the Kumbh Mela is celebrated at each city, alternating between each every three years.